“I’m kind of proud of it. I’m the maverick.” -- Muskegon County Commissioner James Derezinski

MUSKEGON, MI – James Derezinski knows his own mind.

What might be rarer for an elected official is that the Muskegon County Commissioner doesn’t hesitate to speak his mind.

Derezinski recently announced he wouldn’t run for re-election. His current term expires at the end of 2014. He says his legacy on the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners will be defined by his maverick brand of leadership.

“I’m only one voice, but I’m a loud voice,” Derezinski said.

Derezinski says his independent thinking – along with demonstrated ability to get re-elected -- are the reasons he’s been able to help enact substantial reforms at Muskegon County over his 12 years in office.

Derezinski was an early advocate for building a new jail, encouraged development at the Muskegon County Wastewater Management System, and with an eye for finance, helped institute a variety of cost-cutting measures over the years.

Muskegon County Legacy

Derezinski is also proud of ongoing work to establish a wind farm at the 11,000-acre Muskegon County Wastewater Management System. It’s been an ongoing priority for him to see the system – located in his district -- reach its full potential, and the county has cycled through several different plans in that effort.

“At one time, they were going to grow cranberries out there,” he said.

But the wind farm idea has stuck and is now in the final stages of testing.

Derezinski also points to budget cuts the county made during his time in office – a total $22 million from 2003 through 2014 – with a total of 194 positions eliminated.

Cutting costs, he said, helped the county to save for building a new county jail and maintain the high bond rating that made financing the jail’s construction possible.

The need for a new county jail has been was discussed prior to Derezinski taking office, but his influence played a role its ultimate development.

“I’ve been the biggest and loudest advocate for that jail, getting it done,” he said.

View full sizeFormer Muskegon County Commissioner John Snider II.KENDRA STANLEY-MILLS

Former County Commissioner John Snider backs up that claim.

“The success of that jail today is a directly attributable to Jim Derezinski,” Snider said. “Jim and I and a couple others recognized we could put that jail together with cost savings.”

Those three things – the Wastewater System, county finances and the county jail -- are just his accomplishments at the Muskegon County level. But Derezinski has about 30 years’ experience in elected positions. He’s also a founding member of Bike Time, Muskegon’s biggest festival. He first got involved in politics as Egelston Township Clerk, and eventually completed his goal in that role of bringing a sewer system to the homes around his native Wolf Lake. He also served on the board of Muskegon Community College and worked for many years as the Business Manager for Oakridge Public Schools.

Maverick spirit

Even on smaller issues, Derezinski speaks his mind. Here’s a couple of his zingers from recent meetings:

An admitted smoker, Derezinski at one recent County Commission meeting asked if having non-smokers draft an anti-smoking rule wasn’t like having the “the Pope do birth control.”

At a meeting in December, he asked for a resolution honoring Muskegon Catholic Central High School for winning a state football championship, and objected to Commissioner Ben Cross’ suggestion to add to the resolution the name of Oakridge High School, whose post-season drive ended a game short of the state championship.

“Why don’t we just adopt a resolution, ‘To whom it may concern?’” Derezinski quipped. He said the county needed to stick with honoring a single champion, who would be better remembered than any runners-up. “Who’s the second man on the moon? Who’s the second president?” he asked.

The son of a prominent area doctor and a third-generation resident of the Wolf Lake area, Derezinski has great name recognition in his district and as a result has been relatively secure in his office.

“I don’t do any fundraisers,” he said. He enjoys not being beholden to donors, or even leaders in his own political party.

“I’m kind of proud of it,” he said. “I’m the maverick.”

Bipartisanship

The maverick aspect of his personality came out in his willingness to work with Republicans on the Board of Commissioners.

"In his heart, he's a Democrat, he just didn't follow the normal party
line," said Muskegon County Board of Commissioners Chairman Ken Mahoney.

Despite being a Republican, John Snider served as Derezinski’s vice-chairman during the two years in which he was chairman of the Board of Commissioners.

“I saw them, especially John, and Bob (Scolnik) too – because of their professional manner, their accomplishments, their education – as people who were there as statesmen rather than politicians,” Derezinski said. “Pick the best person – that’s all I’m saying.”

Derezinski's efforts at bipartisanship haven’t always been popular in the local Democratic Party.

"I tend to be bipartisan, but I know where my roots are," Mahoney said. "We've had our disagreements, but I never thought his heart wasn't in the right place."

Derezinski also once went head-to-head with the County Drain Commissioner, Martin Hulka, over alleged wrongdoing, and led a reform of the Muskegon County Road Commission. Officials at both institutions at the time were heavily connected to the Democratic Party, he said.

He’s also critical of the unions’ sway over the Democratic party.

“The power (at union hall) is the money that labor puts behind politicians,” he said. “There are more Democrats out there than those paying union dues. Who’s representing them?”

What’s next

Derezinski, 66, said he’s getting out of politics due to medical problems related to his tour in Vietnam.

He doesn’t plan to endorse a candidate as his successor.

He plans to focus on woodworking projects in his basement, and says he won’t miss angry phone calls from his detractors.

“(With) all of these projects, there are people who are naysayers, and you make enemies,” he said.